Posted on 07/08/2007 10:45:37 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
RENO, Nev. - An 8,000-acre wildfire had forced hundreds of people to leave their homes in the northern Nevada town of Winnemucca, and scores fled homes in the path of a blaze in Washington state on Sunday.
They were among several wildfires across the West on Sunday as a heat wave made parched terrain even drier. The Winnemucca fire was one of more than a dozen that had charred a combined 55 square miles.
The Utah Highway Patrol on Sunday reopened a 100-mile stretch of Interstate 15 and 25 miles of I-70 that were closed when a 250-square-mile fire jumped the highways and filled the air with dense smoke. Poor visibility was blamed for several accidents, including a motorcycle crash that killed two people.
Other fires blackened the landscape in California, South Dakota, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho and Oregon.
The fire near Winnemucca, about 170 miles east of Reno, threatened up to eight blocks of homes and an electrical substation, said U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Jamie Thompson.
"It's right up to the south edge of town," he said. "The fire definitely poses a danger to parts of the town. It's certainly got everyone's attention."
The largest Nevada fire had blackened 36 square miles, or 23,000 acres, along the Idaho state line, said Mike Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. It was 10 percent contained Saturday, officials said. A firefighter was treated at a hospital for burns and released.
Another fire blackened 11 square miles, or 7,000 acres, about five miles southwest of Carlin. It burned two mobile homes and several smaller structures, and closed a section of Interstate 80 for six hours during the night, fire information officer Tracie Winfrey said.
High wind in central Washington state during the night spread a brush fire that was threatening homes outside the town of Wenatchee. By Sunday morning, 250 to 270 homes had been evacuated and more were under alert. At least three outbuildings were destroyed.
Fire officials estimated the blaze had covered 800 and 1,000 acres, said Jeri Freimuth, a fire information officer.
"It's a pretty dynamic situation at this point. Until we can get people in there to see what the situation is we don't know," Freimuth said.
The fire in central Utah had swept across parts of two counties, charring an estimated 160,000 acres, or 250 square miles, fire information officer LaCee Bartholomew said.
"The fire laid down a little overnight, but it's still active," she said Sunday. "We don't have an accurate updated acreage, but it did grow."
A 2,500-acre fire forced evacuations Sunday of at least 50 homes near Hot Springs, S.D. The fire grew overnight because of erratic wind and some buildings were destroyed, state officials said.
In California, more than 400 firefighters battled a blaze that had covered 17,000 acres of the 2 million-acre Inyo National Forest east of Yosemite National Park, forest spokeswoman Nancy Upham said Saturday. Firefighters were searching for and evacuating hikers and backpackers on and near the popular trail to Mount Whitney, tallest peak in the lower 48 states.
At least 200 people from the small town of Independence, Calif., were evacuated, officials said, and a section of highway that runs along the eastern spine of the Sierra Nevada mountain range was closed.
About two dozen people had fled two tiny northern Arizona communities Sunday as a blaze blackened 900 acres near Mormon Lake, southeast of Flagstaff. The communities, Long Park and Bear Park, have a combined 18 homes and summer cabins, said Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokesman Gerry Blair.
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Associated Press writers Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City, Carson Walker in Sioux Falls, S.D., Rachel Konrad in San Francisco and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.
NORTHERN NEVADA
Winnemucca and Elko Latest Areas Hit by Lightning Fires
http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6758444
July 7, 2007 07:31 PM PDT
Ah, Winnemucca. Spent a week there one night.
A hot one, no doubt. (in the casino cafe , that is.) ;-)
KOLO 8
Thomas Fire Near Winnemucca Winnemucca
Reporter: STAFF
http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/8379397.html
The Thomas Fire is burning on the northwest slope of the Sonoma Mountains, 3 miles to the southwest of Winnemucca. A Type-One management team will transitioning Sunday afternoon to take over the command of the fire.
This lighting-sparked blaze has grown to 25,000 acres, burning in grass, brush and juniper.
The areas of Water Canyon and Grass Valley have been evacuated, and the following roads have been shut down: 2 BLM roads, 5 county roads and 3 city streets.
A few outbuildings, such as sheds, have burned; no homes have been lost.
Because the fire is burning aggressively, fire crews hope to have it contained by Sunday, July 15th. The flames are burning in difficult terrain, with strong winds of up to 38 mph, high temperatures of 96 degrees and 13% humidity.
I wish. Actually, it was car trouble, on the way to Twin Falls. What a night!
Due to the recent fires in my area, I was reevaluating the fire safety of my home last night and realized that by simply rotating the heads on four sprinklers 180 degrees, I can water 60 feet of wooden fence and soak the area around the three evergreens.
The house is pretty safe due to masonry roofing and I don’t have many flammables next to the house that would ignite the siding.
Heck, I spent a week there one night...
In the past, there were some close calls, usually involving the Santa Ana winds.
Ah, yes; you too. Did you get a good seat for the nightly gang fight?
“Winnemucca—City Of Paved Streets”
Winnemucca - Latin word
winne = horse
mucca = muck or more commonly known as, well the south end of the north bound winne
put together the leftovers of most modern day rodeos
perfectly named for the town...
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1450064
a motorits point of view on the UTah fire...
Ahhh. Winnemucca... world center of premium water pump replacement.
I think rural Nevada is the Bermuda Triangle for automobiles.
Is there anything flammable under the exposed wood overhangs? If not, then you are probably safe.
Plenty of normal wood framing inside the stucco/stone outer structure, so we still have some risk.
You too?
At least we had free entertainment...the gang fight was clearly visible from our balcony.
I also spent two weeks one night in Lovelock. Alas, I was alone, so didn't get locked in love.
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